Don't get bogged down in lobby reform

Dallas Morning News | William McKenzie:

“House Republicans are stumbling over one another as they rush into the nunnery, hoping to distance themselves from the corrupt lobby culture they helped create. ... It's a mistake for House Republicans to get so deep into their nunnery that they miss the additional issues that could alienate them from everyday voters – and their Republican base. Cleaning up Washington is important, but other problems affect Americans more directly and could impact the 2006 and 2008 elections.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

Mr McKenzie is too quick to give this Republican Congress an excuse to paper over the lobbying scandals. Sure, there are other important issues to tackle. But cleaning up Washington is a prerequisite to solving other things. Business as usual is what created the problems in the first place.

The Greenspan Challenge: Republicans have no interest in trimming the rest of the budget in order to pay for tax cuts or the war in Iraq or reconstruction of New Orleans. Pet projects, pork, corporate welfare, all would come under attack before entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. Instead, the Republican grand strategy is to let the deficit grow and grow until the whole system collapses, bringing the entitlements down with it.

The Alternative Minimum Tax: You would think Republicans would be eager to end the AMT. Think again. The AMT hits hardest where state income taxes are highest. Think California and the blue states in general. The Republican strategy here is to hold out until Democratic constituencies feel the pain. Then Republicans will insist on tax cuts for dividends and capital gains in any package that includes elimination of the AMT.

Immigration: Conservatives don't want anything to do with President Bush's guest worker program. They want jails and walls. Perhaps some kind of compromise that includes both amnesty and tougher borders can be worked out. But don't count on it.

Because there are powerful forces working against Republican passage of meaningful legislation in any of these areas, I'm inclined to encourage the Republicans in their "rush into the nunnery." Lobbying reform is one area where they might actually do some good, if Americans keep the pressure on, instead of suggesting distractions for Congress to focus on instead.